Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the treatment of bone defects and, in particular, relates to treatments using bone grafts.
Background
Large bone defects are often treated with metal implants and/or bone grafts to assist with healing of the bone. The bone grafts may be placed in the target area using any of a variety of methods. For example, a graft may simply be placed between two separated ends of an injured or otherwise damaged bone. However, without a container for the bone graft, the graft may fall away before it can be utilized by the body. According to another method, PMMA spacers may be placed in the target area so that the body may form its own fibrous tissue within the spacers. Subsequently, the PMMA spacers are removed and bone graft material is packed into the capsule formed by the body. Alternatively, some methods have included a mesh placed into the target area to contain the bone graft material at that location. These mesh containers generally include an outer wall with a diameter selected to match an outer surface of the bone to prevent the graft material from falling out of the bone.